Dogs and Islam Don't Go Well Together

Here is an interesting article in the Scotsman about dogs being "arrested" in Iran for being out in public. Dogs, according to Islamic law, are seen as "unclean".

The article goes on to explore pet ownership in other Islamic countries.

An animal rights activist in Iran told Radio Farda that domestic dogs were kept in Iran for hunting and guarding property long before it became a widespread practice in the West.

The crackdown coincides with a move by religious police in Saudi Arabia that goes even further, by banning the sale of cats as well as dogs. The prohibition on dogs raised few eyebrows as conservative Muslims revile them as dirty. But the cat ban bemused many Saudis because Islamic tradition holds that the Prophet Muhammad loved cats, which are renowned for their cleanliness.

A newly issued Saudi police decree, which applies to the Red Sea port of Jeddah and the holy city of Mecca, bans the sale of cats and dogs because "some youths have been buying them and parading them in public". City authorities were urged to help enforce the ban.

As in Iran, Saudi conservatives view pet dogs as a western-inspired fad that, like fast food, jeans and pop music, is threatening the fabric of society.